With the high cost of fuel it is important to prevent excessive use of fuel when the engine of a transport motored vehicle is running at idle conditions. Because operators of such vehicles work for fleet operators who are the proprietors of the vehicles, they are not too concerned with the condition of the engine of the transport vehicle nor how much unnecessary fuel is consumed by the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped for any reason such as when the operator uses the sleeper unit of the cabin or leaves the engine running while at a restaurant eating or for any other reasons wherein the vehicle engine is left running at idle for long periods of time. It is know that unnecessary engine idling waist fuel and increase engine maintenance costs while reducing the life of the engine. Unnecessary idling also generates unnecessary exhaust emissions that are released into the atmosphere. It has been found that gasoline engines consume two and a half to four or more liters of fuel per hour while idling and diesel engines consume one to four liters per hour during idling and this being dependent on the size of the engine, and the idle speed of the engine dependant on accessory loads and power take-offs.
Another problem associated with truck engines when idling for prolonged period of times is that the engine oil becomes contaminated more quickly than when the vehicle is in movement. Idling also causes incomplete combustion and condensation of unburnt fuel on the cylinder walls of the engine and eventually contaminates the engine oil and reduces the effectiveness and the oil loses his lubrication quality. Accordingly, engine oil must be changed more frequently and this adds to the costs of the maintenance. Because the transport vehicle is out of service during maintenance, this also adds to the operating costs of the vehicle.
In recent years there has been requirements by certain states of the Unites States to limit engine idling to conform to state laws as well as local jurisdictions which impose restrictions on engine idling for the purpose of controlling CO2 emissions. Many of these laws are not obeyed by truck operators as their vehicle is often not visible for inspection by state enforcing personnel. For example, often when a transport vehicle is being loaded or unloaded the operator will leave the vehicle at idle or even fast idle depending on local climatic conditions whereby the cabin heating system will remain operative.
Various devices have been provided in an attempt to conserve fuel. For example, many transport vehicles are now equipped with automatic idle shut-down devices whereby when the vehicle is at idle speed, the engine automatically shuts down after a predetermined time limit, usually 5 minutes. However, operators have found ways around these automatic engine idle control devices and such ways have been proven to be even more costly, such as engaging the fast idle switch to bypass the automatic idle shut-down or using the PTO of the vehicle to operate the engine at fast idle. Generators are also available that draw fuel from the transport vehicle tank to produce electricity for heat, air-conditioning and other appliances during idle conditions. However, this approach also consumes fuel and is therefore not a popular solution.
Another problem associated with engine idle is that it contributes to driver fatigue and reduces safety. Because there is a need to have heat or air-conditioning in a sleeper unit of the cabin of the transport motored vehicle, the engine has to be started during the sleeping period. Therefor, the driver which must set an alarm to wake himself at certain hours to ensure that the engine is started periodically to provide heat or air-conditioning and also to ensure, during very cold weather conditions, that the engine will be warm enough to start after the driver's sleeping period. Often, to bypass the need of having to start the engine during the rest or sleeping period an operator often will leave the engine running at idle during the entire sleeping period but the noise and vibrations generated by the idling diesel engine will affect the driver's good night rest and this solution also results in fatigue and unnecessary fuel consumption and wear. To remedy this problem, automatic heating and air-conditioning systems have been developed which are operated by supplemental batteries or generators, the latter being a costly solution as generators are bulky and costly. Many of these are also not compatible with all vehicles and they significantly increase the total weight of the vehicle and consequently affect fuel economy during driving. Generators are also noisy when in operation and are therefore not popular with truck drivers.
Operators are also known to tamper with engine sensors and actuators to bypass the idle speed shut-down control and circumvent or defeat various engine control features which improve fuel economy whereby the operator can obtain more power or speed or keep the engine running.
In view of the above there is a need to provide an automatic management and control system which can autonomously control a transport motored vehicle engine conditions, operation of vehicle accessories and engine controls when the vehicle is at rest condition and which is capable of preventing the vehicle operator from overriding the automatic operation of the system. Thus, the control system optimizes fuel efficiency.